The Words of Yet to Come
by FlourTheCat
Summary: A new war is approaching.  With little information, the Gotei has no choice but to reform from the broken state they are currently in.  Their future is bleak.  Death lingers near.  This time they can't expect outside help.  It's game over.
1. Chapter 1

_Mreow…_

Yamamoto watched silently as a very fluffy grey and black cat leapt onto the railing of his veranda. He was aware of the fact that the cat belonged to his lieutenant. He was also aware of the fact that an irate Sasakibe would soon be coming the area looking for said cat as the unlucky division member who left Sasakibe's door open would be cowering. Yamamoto rarely actually listened to his lieutenant's talk about all things western, but he knew enough to know that the cat was named 'Charles.' Perhaps surprisingly, he also knew the cat's full name was Charles Samuel the Second, and that the name was derived from two kings. It was the second because Sasakibe's first one died.

Yamamoto considered capturing the cat, and saving his lieutenant the trouble, but it stalked out of view, presumably leaping to the roof to enjoy its limited freedom. The leaping cat had momentarily blocked the sun, and the return of it reflected off of a white kanji drawn elegantly upon shining black paper. Yamamoto's attention was once more returned to the paper, which not so inconspicuously announced a paper sent directly from his majesty himself, the Spirit King.

The elegance of the kanji shining on the void like paper seemed to emit a royal aura. Once could not be sure if the paper was meant to make an impression, or made to be unable to counterfeit. Either way, Yamamoto was sure it was genuine, and the seals seamlessly imprinted along the side of the paper only served to assist the paper's claim to be real. It was likely that should one measure the distance between each seal, they would find each to be equal distance away from the one proceeding and succeeding it.

It was rare for the King, or anyone amongst the ranks of the secret Royal Dimension, to contact anyone in the Seireitei, and as far as Yamamoto knew, they only contacted him. So rare, in fact, that he hardly got a letter once a century, normally to promote a member of the Gotei into their ranks. This is precisely why he was slightly fearful to have one arrive not two weeks after Aizen's imprisonment. It was a rather large input from the normally passive King, making some major changes to the Gotei, requesting Aizen's transport to the Royal Dimension, and allowing the Substitute Shinigami, along with Urahara's crew, the humans, the Vizards, and everyone else associated with them to run free. There was no order for a promotion, however.

That was fifty years ago, and here Yamamoto was, fuming over the second letter he received this century. Again, to his surprise, there was no call for a promotion. It was worse. Apparently, a large war was raging in the Royal Dimension, and there was fear of it spreading to the Seireitei. That was just what Yamamoto needed. They were still recovering from the last war, and had to worry about a new one. To add to his worries, if the war was giving the Royal Guard trouble, then the Gotei had little hope.

Yamamoto's patience was already thinning. As much as he tried to contain his emotions, it wasn't difficult to tell that he wasn't in the best of the moods recently. The noble clans were acting up, and riots and other chaos was happening. Yamamoto didn't care much for the details, as he was busy dealing with the effect it was having on his Shinigami. Riots were happening, and it was just general chaos. On top of this, some sort of illness was spreading, swiftly taking the lives of Shinigami. At least the majority was unseated, and the illness seemed to not affect seated Shinigami in the single digits.

As badly as he was being affected, he was well aware of the fact that he wasn't the only one. Sasakibe was suffering, having failed to make yesterday's deadline for a few important papers. As much of a letdown it had been, Yamamoto was aware that he didn't deserve to be slammed into the wall for it. He overreacted, and would apologize, even though the lieutenant probably understood. Perhaps the worst off of all, Unohana had been overrun with patients once more. The combination of the riots, mysterious illness, and the ever rude Eleventh Division had left her and her division constantly filled, to the point that they had begun to store the less severe patients at the empty Third Division barracks. Her situation wasn't assisted by Shinigami that believed Mayuri was neglecting finding a cure for the illness, and protesting on his division grounds. Even though the group was quite clearly heartless, when it was thought about, Central 46 was pretty bad off also. They were dealing with all of the incidents that were happening, along with the impatient demands of the Nobles to sort out the problem they had. Not to mention that many nobles were amongst the ranks of his Shinigami, either extremely stressed, or helping with the riots that were happening. And then the fact that half of his high ranking Shinigami get drunk on a daily basis, further irritating the others, leaving everyone stressed and at each other's necks. From this point, it was simply a cycle, which was wearing down on everyone.

And now this notice from the Royal Guard. If a war did sweep through the Seireitei, they would not stand a chance. Not only the fact that they were simply not powerful enough; they were divided and shattered. There were the seated, and the unseated; there were the nobles, and the peasants; there were the stressed, and the uncaring; and there were many more divisions that were there. It would only take a little to completely throw the Seireitei into civil war, and many would not even know what was being fought.

Yamamoto sighed. Hopefully, the captains would form together and stop this nonsense to prepare for the second war this century.

He could only hope.

* * *

><p>So yeh. The basics, such as the fact that Bleach does not belong to me, and that stuff.<p>

So, this is a Roleplay I am doing with one of my friends, with some glaring differences. Even so, I have somethings planned out. This is my problem, however. Anyone who reads my other stories should know that I have a habit of not writing anymore. So this is just a test, of sorts, to see if the idea catches on. It still has a lot of work if it does. Bai.


	2. Something is among

The meeting was a disaster.

Captains angrily filed out of the hall, not looking back. None had even stayed to chat briefly as normally at least two did. Yamamoto sighed, finally leaving the hall a good four minutes after the others had left. The captains had the nerve to not believe him! Most had believed that it was some sort of ruse, even accusing that he was completely lying about the letter from the Royal Guard.

Which, Yamamoto had to admit, was understandable. In all of his years of service, he had never once received a letter regarding a possible war breaking out. He had to do something. He accidentally drew a new line, one between the sensei and the student. He would not let the Gotei fall apart. He would not.

* * *

><p>Byakuya was one of the few who had taken the warning seriously. Even so, during the meeting, he had accused Yamamoto of thinking up a ruse to try to get the nobles back on track. He regretted it, but it couldn't be helped now. Byakuya was not one to apologize. He walked back to Sixth Division in his normal stoic silence. However, if someone knew him well enough to notice, they would be able to see that his lips were just a bit thinner, and that his eyes were narrowed just slightly.<p>

Upon arriving back at his division, he shook off the greetings of his division members.

With his always graceful movements, he entered his office. He had expanded it a while ago, permitting not only his own and Renji's desk in the office, but also Kira's.

No one was sure why the order was called, but following the betrayal of the three captains, someone had decided to be rid of those squads completely. It was strange, yes, but it seemed to be effective. Apparently, the new arrangement was trying out a system where the shinigami would work better with people they were comfortable with. Kira was sent to work in Sixth Division, Shuhei was sent to work in Tenth Division—who also took over the Seireitei Communication—and Momo was sent to Thirteenth Division, where she could hopefully get over Aizen's betrayal under the guidance of an equally kind captain.

Byakuya glanced around and saw Kira working dutifully. Renji, however, was not. Byakuya, as expressionless as ever, silently padded over to stand in front of his desk. Renji's response was a deep snore.

Byakuya then said without a trace of humor, "Scatter. Senbonzak-"

Byakuya didn't get a chance to finish, because even though the sword was not even in sight, Renji sprang up with a loud cry of, "I'M UP!" The 'up,' however, evolved into a sort of 'Whoa!' as the force of his reaction caused him to thud backwards to the ground.

In the background, Kira shook slightly with the force of a silent laugh. Even though neither one intended to be funny, observing the clashes of an overemotional man with an underemotional man was always amusing.

"Get back to work, Abarai." Byakuya said, stalking over to his own desk.

After sitting up with a groan, Renji scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well… I… We were wondering if we could go out and meet Rangiku and Shuhei for some drinks…," he muttered out.

Byakuya remained silent, before saying a simple word, "Go."

"It's just that we haven't seen each other for a while-,"

"Did I ask for an explanation?"

"No, sir," Kira spoke up at this point. It wouldn't be the first time he got Renji out of a sticky situation.

When Byakuya did not respond, Kira gave a slight bow, before dragging Renji out of the room.

Now alone, Byakuya thought about his actions. He wondered briefly if he came off as strange. It wouldn't surprise him if he did; he had a lot on his mind. There was the affair with the nobles, and while it didn't involve his clan personally, the elders were trying to get involved, which wasn't being appreciated by the other clans. He also had to admit that the captain's meeting had gotten to him also. He didn't know if they'd survive another war so soon after the last one.

He had let Abarai off early for a reason, also. The man, as idiotic as he may be at times, could actually be surprisingly keen at times. He was probably one of the few that would notice something was on his mind, and also speak up about it. The Head Captain had told the Captains to keep quiet about what was discussed at the meeting.

Byakuya wasn't completely sure about what was happening. He picked up his brush to continue on his paperwork. He did know one thing, however. Whatever happening was big. He wished more captains would take it seriously.

Last war, they had suffered no deaths in the top ranks, as surprising as that was. They wouldn't get so lucky this time.

* * *

><p>So, yeh. That's the second chapter, even though few people have expressed interest in it as of now.<p>

I forgot to mention last chapter that if you have any questions, feel free to ask.

And about OCs, I don't plan on any being prominent, but as any fellow writers know, some stories tend to not end up where you planned.

Bleach own not do I.


	3. A mysterious dawn

The sun was setting.

Kira, Renji, Rangiku, and Shuhei were partially drunk. They were at that magic stage where they were logically thinking, but not quite intelligently. They were, as Rangiku called it, ripe for rumor picking. After having a somber but not sober talk about the issues with the Central 46, Kira brought up the topic of the Spirit King.

This elicited a strong response from Renji, even though he was probably just letting off built up steam, "I ain't respecting some man I don't know!" He stood up in a rage, nearly toppling over in his undefined rage.

"Careful, Renji," Kira playfully teased, "We don't need a repeat of this morning."

"Oi! Shut up! I'm being serious!"

"Jeeze, Renji…," Rangiku yawned from her position, which was lazing across a spot which would normally hold three people. This was probably why Shuhei was standing, even though there was enough room down on the opposite side of Renji. "Why such a strong reaction?"

"What kind of man doesn't even fight for his own life?"

"What are you squawking about now, idiot?" Rukia said with irritation.

"R-Rukia!" Renji yelled, thudding to the ground for the second time that day.

Rangiku burst into loud laughter at this, clamping her hand on Kira's shoulder, "Why aren't you laughing? That was hilarious!"

"It's only funny once," Kira shrugged.

Rukia leaned against the counter, "Well?"

"With the whole Aizen thing, you think he would, you know, come fight, or at least send some of that famous Royal Guard to fight."

"It is a good point," Rangiku said with a partial shrug.

"We all respect your opinion, Renji," Kira started, "But speaking like that is going to get you in trouble."

"Renji? Get in trouble? No waaay," Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Rukia, no offense, but you don't even know what we're talking about," Rangiku pointed out.

"Considering it was Renji talking, I doubt it's important."

Renji pulled himself to his seat, slightly sulking, "Come on, guys. I can't be the only one who thinks something is up."

"Aw!" Rangiku teased with a kissy face, "Did Ren-kun run out of sake in his system?"

"Hey, hey! I'm serious! And what's with that name?"

"He's being serious," Kira backed Renji up, "Our captain acted off after that meeting of theirs.

"Yeah, did yours?" Renji asked Rangiku.

"I don't think so," Rangiku said, "But I wasn't paying attention or anything."

"Of course not," Renji turned to Rukia, "What about Captain Ukitake?"

"He stayed home," Rukia said simply.

They fell into a comfortable silence, though it was clear Renji wasn't completely settled down.

The silence was suddenly interrupted when the-until then-silent Shuhei suddenly cried out in pain, falling to his knees.

"What was that for?" He yelled. If he was an anime character, tears would be streaming down his face.

Rangiku was silent for a few moments, shuffling to a more comfortable position. "I saw you ogling that girl."

"But you weren't even looking!" He cried out in disbelief, forgetting to deny the fact.

"I can tell," Rangiku said with a huff.

Renji, Kira, and Rukia watched in amused silence. Each knew that saying a word could get the drunk and moody woman on his or her back.

"Good day."

All, except Shuhei, who was still pained, turned to look at the newcomer.

"…Lieutenant Sasakibe…." Kira was the first to respond.

"It's good to see you for once!" Rangiku said.

"Especially since that third seat of yours has been taking over the lieutenant's meetings…," Renji said, trailing off.

"My apologies. I've been having a rough time recently." Sasakibe had that aura that meant he wanted to talk, but wasn't going to without being urged.

"That's not something you apologize for…," Kira said with a look of slight confusion.

Shuhei finally looked over, and then blinked, "Lieutenant Sasakibe? When did you-?"

Shuhei was cut off by Renji suddenly reaching over, clamping a hand to his mouth, and then giving a shove.

"Ignore him."

Sasakibe was in a bit of a depression cloud. The others shared glances, but none of them spoke.

After a few moments, Sasakibe stood.

"I suppose I should leave. I apologize for intruding on your time." He began leaving.

"Er…It's no problem…." Renji was the only one who spoke as he left.

"He's definitely not the social type…is he?" Kira asked with a slight sweatdrop.

"Did he even drink anything?" Rangiku asked.

"No." Rukia answered shortly.

…

…

…

"I think we can say that no one's getting drunk tonight." Rangiku seemed slightly irritated at that.

"Maybe we won't get hung-over then," Renji said, slightly hopeful.

"It doesn't work like that," Kira said with a depressed tone.

* * *

><p>"Hey Juuu! JUUUU!" Shunsui yelled, not bothering to attempt to be stealthy as he paraded through the lands of the Ukitake Clan.<p>

"JU! SHI! RO!" He continued screaming as he looked around. He of course knew the location of his best friend, but was playing around.

'…I thought he was supposed to be lazy…?" A new gardener for the Ukitake family thought as Kyoraku bounded around like a hyper kangaroo.

Landing in front of Ukitake's Ugendo Quarters with a graceful flap of his komono, Shunsui threw the door open with a magnificent spin. Ukitake watched with amused, but tired eyes. It was impossible to be started by the other captain when his shouts could be heard from almost a spirit mile away.

"Look what I found!"

A paper was thrown in front of Ukitake's face before he could react.

"…It's a very nice…pile of black papers, Shunsui…," Ukitake said in partial confusion. The papers were of the deepest black, but noticeably…bare.

"No, silly! It's my invitation to the Royal Guard!"

"Aah…" Ukitake understood now. It was often wondered why the two captains were never invited to join, and that was because the promotion was optional. A letter would be sent to the candidate, and if they wished to accept, there was a serious of small tasks that hat to be done. Both Ukitake and Shunsui had chosen to decline, which consisted of simply ignoring the letter. The most amazing thing about the letters, in Shunsui's point of view, was the fact that only the candidate could see the print.

"Where did you find it at?" Truthfully, Ukitake didn't even know where his own was. He wouldn't tell the other captain that, however, as he wouldn't let it go for a while.

"Nanao-chan was going to throw it away!" Shunsui cried with a face of false despair.

'I should have known," Ukitake shook his head with a slight smile.

* * *

><p>Das ist kapitel drei. I also wanna thank the one reviewer that ich habe. Bitte! And no, I don't fluently speak German. But I did do those from memory.<p>

And for any who care, this is probably going to be the constant size of my chapters.

I don't own Bleach.

P.S. What is a beta?


	4. Does Anyone

A few days after the last gathering, the group of four met up again. This time, however, they were just going out for lunch, and not having sake—yet.

"All of this work is really becoming a drag," Rangiku said.

"It's not like you actually do anything!" Shuhei said in irritation.

"Don't blame the smart woman," Rangiku said with a smile.

"It's your own fault anyways," Renji offhandedly said.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be right back, boys," Rangiku said with a wink, walking off.

"…God, Shuhei, I didn't think you were such an idiot," Renji pretty much ignored Rangiku, and continued talking to Renji.

"W-what?" Shuhei said in incredulity.

"Shuhei, why exactly do you think she asked you to join her division?" Kira gave an input innocently.

"For my charm and wit, of course!" Shuhei said with a blush across his face.

Renji and Kira burst into laughter at this, only confusing the poor Shuhei more.

Rangiku was walking back now. "Come on guys, stop trying to work me up. It isn't going to work," he said coolly, striking a 'cool' pose as Rangiku sat back down.

"What are we talking about boys?" Rangiku asked.

"Shuhei's idioc-," Renji was cut off by an elbow from the aforementioned idiot.

"We were talking about the Seireitei's problems." Shuhei lied.

"It is getting bad. I'm telling you, guys. Ever since that captain's meeting, I've had this really strange feeling. Like, my spiritual senses are picking something up, but I can't quite place what it is…." Renji orginally went to back Shuhei up (for some reason) but then got caught up in his own feelings.

"Like that one superhero person?" Rangiku asked.

"…Stop alluding to Human World crap," Renji gave a half glare at Rangiku, who shrugged.

"Renji, this IS getting old…," Kira said. Working with Renji, he'd been hearing about it for the last couple of days.

"I'm telling you! There's something going on!" Renji obviously deeply believed that there was something going on.

"I hate to burst your bubble, Renji, but there's a lot of stuff going on. It's just not something for lieutenants like us to be worried about," Rangiku said seriously.

"Well something's worrying the captains!"

"Captain Hitsugaya DID seem off…," Shuhei said thoughtfully.

"He did…?" Rangiku questioned.

"He seemed…more reserved. In thought," Shuhei explained.

"Oh," Rangiku started, "So that's why his yelling didn't wake me up…"

"My captain has been acting the same way!" Renji exclaimed, excited that someone was actually on the same page as him.

"…Isn't he always?" Shuhei asked dumbly.

"Yeah, yeah, but even more so recently. Normally after a captain's meeting, he's all like," At this point, Renji's voice changed, as if he was doing an impression of Byakuya. "Abarai. We need to have this report filled out by this time. We need to deliver these to this division. We have to order these objects." Renji's voice was now back to normal. "But he didn't do it this time!"

"…You're basing this whole thing on one observation?" Rangiku asked in slight disbelief.

"Two," Shuhei corrected, "He said he's been sensing something weird."

Rangiku waved a dismissive hand, "That's probably just withdrawal."

"It is not!" Renji burst out, "In fact, I'll BET you that something behind the scenes is going on! 7,000 kan, right now!" Renji was very sure of himself, to the point that he was already imagining buying his new pair of sunglasses with the money he won from the friend that took the bet.

"How about a round of drinking instead?" Shuhei suggested after a few moments of none of them taking the bet.

Renji thought about the offer. He wouldn't have enough for his glasses if he did it that way, but he had planned on going to ask the captains about the contents of the meeting, and the idea of doing it alone wasn't too appealing. "Will you come with me to talk to the captains?" He counter offered.

"It depends on which ones…," Shuhei said cautiously. Renji couldn't blame him.

"Well…." Renji had a problem. His brain didn't think that far ahead. "I don't know," He admitted.

"Just think a little, Renji," Rangiku teased with a smile, "Which ones aren't going to kill you if you ask?"

"Captain Ukitake?" Renji suggested.

"Rukia said he didn't attend the meeting."

"Oh yeah. Hmm… Let's try Captain Kyoraku."

"As carefree as he is, you never get any information out of him."

"Useful information, at least."

"We can get him drunk, and then he might reveal something."

"That would require out drinking him first."

Renji grimaced. "That's not going to work."

"No duh."

Renji contemplated for a few more minutes, before, "I guess the only choice is Captain Komamura."

"Okay," Shuhei said, considering. "I'm following you."

* * *

><p>Arriving at Seventh Division, Shuhei and Renji ran into Tetsuzaemon, better known as Iba.<p>

"Hey," Renji greeted, "Your captain let you off early too?"

"Yeah. Goin' off to spar with Ikkaku. Wanna come?"

"We're on a mission!" Shuhei said.

"I didn't hear about a mission."

"It's self-assigned," Shuhei said slyly.

"Stop trying to be manly, Hisagi."

"Er," Shuhei had nothing to say at the other lieutenant's scorn.

"We just want to talk to your captain," Renji got to the point.

"I dunno," Iba said, "He hasn't been really talkative lately."

With a smug grin, Renji shared a glance—glare, on the other's part—with Shuhei.

Iba raised an eyebrow. "Well, try if you want. I'm leaving." Sticking a cigarette in his mouth, Iba left.

"Come on," Renji egged Shuhei forward.

"Why are you making me go first?" Shuhei asked.

"Why not?"

"This is your wild idea!"

"Coward," Renji stated simply, moving ahead of Shuhei, and entering Komamura's office after a brief knock.

Komamura's head snapped up, "What can I do for you, lieutenants?"

"We're sorry to bother you," Shuhei decided to take charge, having the feeling Renji would ruin everything, "But we would like some information."

"Such as?"

"We noticed a lot of captains acting strange, and were wondering what happened at the captain's meeting."

Komamura said nothing, before saying, "I'm not supposed to speak of it. I'm very sorry."

"So there is something big going on?" Renji asked.

"…Yes. According to the Genryusai-dono, something big is about to happen." Komamura seemed unsure if he should reveal that or not.

"Ha." Renji crossed his arms.

Shuhei crossed his arms too, but for a totally different reason.

* * *

><p>Two figured sat hidden on the Sokyoku hill, thanks to a kido spell from the smaller of the two.<p>

"…They're not taking my warning seriously…are they?"

"They do not seem to be, Spirit King-sama."

"This isn't good. ...And stop calling me that!"

* * *

><p>So, and Chapter four has left the gate. I wanna warn you now that OCs will be coming in soon. I am well aware of the threat of Mary Sues and whatever the name is for the male versions. As for power levels, of course they are going to be powerful, but due to the circumstances, they have to be. As for romance, there will be love among OCs, but not with canons, not major, anyways. There will be a few ones that will be stared mainly, and some of which are Canon-OCs, if you catch my drift.<p>

As for the reviewers, I thank you for answering my question, and if it's not obvious, this story is not beta'd.

As for Ichigo, I'll be completely honest. Since this takes place many years in the future, and since he seems to be mostly human, I don't know how exactly I would place him into the story, except for brief mentions, and I have no plans to do so. Kubo hasn't exactly explained how aging would work for him, and this isn't an area of speculation I want to stumble into. Even more than this, I don't want to get into the mess of pairing him with someone and thinking of children. This applies to all of the humans. Urahara, Yoruichi, and Tessai are probably the only ones in that area that may show up, and even then, briefly. Probably none of the Arrancar or Vizards will show up either. And for the human world, there's also the problem of exactly how advanced our world would be at that time. I want this to be realistic, not science fiction. And I state this paragraph knowing that I may end up making myself a large hypocrite in the future.

My apologies for the mini-rant. Bleach does not belong to me. Thank you for your time.


	5. Even Pay

As they were leaving Seventh Division, Shuhei brought up a point. Whether he was completely serious or trying to get Renji to forget about the bet was another thing, however. "If you've been thinking something was wrong since the captain's meeting, you should have asked Lieutenant Sasakibe when he sat down with us."

"Now you tell me?" Renji said, shaking his head. "But seriously, Shuhei. There's something going on, and I don't know what they're thinking by keeping it a secret."

"I think you should just relax. I'm sure it'll blow over. A lot of stuff has been happening; you can't blame everyone for being all worked up."

"I know, but something is just telling me it's not. Gonna blow over, that is."

"Well, I guess the only one with authority to talk about it would be the Head Captain himself…."

"That's true. Not that he'd tell us anything, but it's worth a shot."

"Should we go now?"

"I don't see the point. We can do it after the meeting tomorrow."

"We?"

"Yeah."

"You can take Rangiku. I don't go to those meetings anymore, remember?"

"Oh. Right."

"See ya later, then?"

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>"Look at me being all smart!" The bigger of the two kido hidden figures said.<p>

"(For once,)" The other inserted.

"Hey!"

"You do realize that he probably senses you, correct?"

* * *

><p>Upon arriving at the Lieutenant's meeting, Renji noticed that a lot of the lieutenants looked tense, and that First Division's third seat was once again hosting the meeting. Most of them failed to remember his name, and someone began calling him Shito (most likely Yachiru), so that's that he became known as. Shito, as opposed to Sasakibe, made no effort to make them pay attention and instead simply let them do as they pleased during the meeting. Which is precisely part of the reason most of the Lieutenants had no clue what was going on. Ise, and to a lesser extend Nemu, are often bothered about what the meeting was about and various deadlines.<p>

Before the meeting started, Renji decided to speak to the other lieutenants about what was going on. They each seemed to have their own opinion.

Omeada said he wouldn't care, but he was often busy with criminals due to his division's affiliation and just wished the whole thing would settle down. His family was also getting angered because the other nobles said that they were too low to get involved.

Isane was extremely worried about the illness that was going around and taking out Shinigami. Her captain had figured out what was happening, but still couldn't deduce the cause or a solution. Mayuri wasn't helping either.

Iba said that it was messing with his captain, and was wishing that those nobles would get it together and solve their stupid problems.

Nanao was too busy with her division's paperwork to notice anything or care about the nobles and the illness going around. She did notice that Captain Kyoraku hadn't been getting drunk as much since the captain's meeting. He'd actually been acting somewhat serious, apparently.

Rangiku actually got serious, and paid attention to what was going on last night. Toshiro seemed distant, and didn't even try to force her to do something.

Yachiru was pointless to talk to. Renji only got the phrase, "Ken-chan's ready to fight!" Now that he thought about it, maybe it wasn't pointless. It could be implying something was coming.

Nemu said that Mayuri was muttering about 'the nerve of him,' 'no time for stupid illnesses,' and 'what an amazing find.'

Rukia had said that she got the impression something was up. She was concerned about the problem with the nobles and what it was doing to her captain's health.

Shito said that his contact with his captain was minimal, and that Sasakibe did seem stressed, but that was expected. He also warned against getting into the captains' business.

Following this, Shito started the meeting. It was boring. This deadline was extended, the price of that object was high, there was an apple shortage, and so on.

Rangiku looked over and nodded. Shuhei must have filled her in last night.

* * *

><p>The situation wasn't improving.<p>

Yamamoto stood on his balcony, staring out at the Seireitei as if his stare could force everybody to calm down and do their jobs while keeping their heads down.

There was too much going on.

He knew that the problem with the nobles needed to be solved. The nobles made quite a bit of the Soul Society's power, and if they did go to war, they needed that power.

The illness was a minor problem. Or would be if everyone would stop making a fuss over it. The only ones affected were low level Shinigami. They were replaceable. The captains needed to stop directing their attention to that, and start focusing on the upcoming war. The-

The Head Captain's thoughts were halted by a knock on the door. Lieutenants Abarai and Matsumoto. They must have finished the lieutenant's meeting. This situation was not good. "Come in," he called, making his way back to his desk.

The two came in, and Yamamoto began to think about what he was going to say.

"Sir, please excuse our interruption, but please tell us what is going on," It was Matsumoto who spoke. She also bowed slightly.

"The matter at hand is not one lieutenants should not be getting involved in," Yamamoto was clearly not in the mood to speak, and tried to make that clear with that simple sentence.

"Well what the h—l are you going to do when more than half of the Soul Society's power doesn't know what to do when something big happens?" Abarai burst out. Matsumoto had to place her arm across Abarai's chest, due to the fact that he began approaching Yamamoto.

Yamamoto's eyes opened slightly in a glare. His eyes were locked with Abarai's, who was frozen by it. This was not a matter where yelling would suffice. He did not need a lieutenant wide rebellion. He spoke slowly, forcing the hotheaded lieutenant to heel.

"Lieutenant Abarai. This is a matter far beyond your understanding."

Inserted in the cold and lowered sentence was a promise of pain if Abarai pushed. Said Abarai was lucky that a light wind blew in from the balcony and levitated Matsumoto's scarf enough to break their eye contact. Abarai hastily bowed himself out, and then Yamamoto was alone.

* * *

><p>This chapter on Author's note corner, the author will explain to you why this Fiction is rated T.<p>

I'm not fond of cursing. So if you all could do me a kind favor, please mentally replace my kiddie words with the words used by these big bad men.

There will be no fluff, lemon, or pretty much any romance at all. The most you may be getting here is comments about crushes or the simple 'I love you' between OCs.

Violence. I'm not one who details all the bone crunchy goodness of battles. There will be battles, however, and the occasional blood reference, especially if someone is stumbling upon a battle scene.

**Death. **If you could not figure out by the summary **there will be character death, both OC and Canon.**

Now, on an unrelated matter, there's a good chance there will be a second chapter tonight. I had trouble writing this chapter for some reason, and I couldn't decide if I should cut off at my normal (around 1000 words,) or continue to where I wanted it to cut off. So I kept writing, and decided to turn it into two chapters. 'Kay? Buhbai.


	6. Attention To

"What was that?" The larger of the two leapt up, breaking the kido spell.

"It doesn't matter! Get down!" The smaller forced the larger back down, and put the Kido spell back up. "I apologize for my impudence, but we ARE on a stealth mission."

"I know, I know…."

* * *

><p>"That. Was frickin' scary," Renji said, still a bit shook up from the encounter.<p>

"You should have known better than to try that," Rangiku said in a slightly scolding tone. Concern could also be heard, though. It wasn't difficult to tell that Renji was at the least shook up.

"I was completely serious. It would be so much easier if they just told us what was happening."

"Well, they're obviously not going to say much of anything."

"I figured that out, Rangiku," Renji said dryly.

"I really don't think you are going to get your information. Considering Sasakibe hasn't even been attending the Lieutenant's meetings, I doubt he's been going to the Captain's meetings or even interacting at all with anyone."

"It's worth a shot."

"I guess so."

Upon arriving at Sasakibe's office door, Rangiku knocked.

They got a muttered 'come in,' so they entered.

The room was somewhat of a mess, and Sasakibe was sitting at his desk. "Ah, lieutenantsdoyouneed something…?" He obviously wasn't pleased to have them bothering him.

"We were just wondering if you knew what was going on," Rangiku said.

"It depends on what you mean by what."

"Well, al-"

"I think. I'm going to throw up." Rangiku was cut off by Renji's sudden words.

…

…

...

"O…kay… It passed." Renji sighed in relief after a few moments of the other two simply staring at him. "But man, my spiritual senses are going HAYWIRE."

Rangiku and Sasakibe shared a glance, but didn't get a chance to speak before Renji continued.

"It was like, really strange. Ever have one of those moments where you're seeing double?"

Renji got a hesitant nod from Rangiku. Sasakibe seemed to return his focus to his paperwork.

"It was like that, but, instead of seeing double, I was sensing double. Like, there were two mes, and two of you," He points at Sasakibe. "I don't know. Whatever he did to me messed me up."

"Do we need to take you to Fourth Division…?" Rangiku asked.

"No, I'll be fine…," Renji responded. He returned his attention to Sasakibe, who spoke.

"I sensed something odd for a few moments also…. But I do believe it was from lack of sleep or something similar. Either way, can we return to the original topic?"

"Ah, yes," Renji responded, "We noticed the captains have been acting extremely strange, and were curious if you had an idea what was happening."

Sasakibe gave a sigh, before, "I'm afraid I do not. My captain has not been the most talkative recently, and it is not my place to ask him of details."

"We already tried that," Renji said with a face of 'not doing that again.' At Sasakibe's look of mild concern, he continued, "I'm just a bit disoriented, nothing major. He really didn't get all that mad."

"That's surprising," Sasakibe said dryly.

"Why?" Rangiku questioned.

"He hasn't been in the greatest of moods lately, and I'll leave it at that."

"Did something happen?"

"As much as I'd like to finish this chat, I do have work to do. I don't wish to know the consequences should I miss a second deadline. But as for your reason for coming here, I am not one who enjoys not knowing what is going on," Sasakibe seemed to be intent on redirecting the conversation to business. "I'll send out a letter, and see if I can get some sort of information regarding what is occupying my captain's thoughts."

"A letter?" Both questioned, sharing a glance. Renji took it a step further.

"To who?"

"You wouldn't know him."

"You don't know Rangiku," Renji said as a joke.

"What's his name?" Rangiku chirped in, ready to prove Sasakibe wrong.

"Samuel."

Rangiku made a face, "What kind of name is that?"

"An English one." Something in Rangiku's comment seemed to irritate him. "Now ge-"

Rangiku seemed to finally notice the cat curled up on Sasakibe's sofa. "Ooohh!" She squealed, heading over. Renji sweat dropped.

Sasakibe sighed. It seemed as though they weren't leaving anytime soon.

* * *

><p>"Hmmmm…," Someone thought, sitting on the roof of a nearby building.<p>

"This should be too easy. My master will be pleased." He continued.

"But first, I need to get to that girl."

"Patience. I must remember patience. I can use this lame Soul Reaper's sister…"

* * *

><p>"He is so FLUFFY!" Rangiku cooed, hugging the cat. "Where did you get a cat like this?"<p>

"In France," Sasakibe grimaced, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Er, Rangiku," Renji started. He was trying to catch the woman's attention, but failed. "We should probably leave…"

"Wwwhhhyy?" Rangiku pouted.

"Because I don't think Sasakibe's feeling too well and he wants us to leave…"

"Don't worry about it, Lieutenant Abarai. Just try not to break anything…," The second comment was accompanied by a pointed glare. Renji leapt away from the table he was about to use as a support, suddenly all too aware of the glass figures perched upon it.

"Do you mind if I…," Renji gestured to Sasakibe's sofa.

"By all means."

Renji sat down, glad to be off of his feet.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Mareyo!" The mysterious man called, back home.<p>

"Yes~?" The ugly to her family little girl called.

"What would you say to joining the Shinigami Women's Association?"

"Really?" The girl squealed, "But I'm not a Shinigami!"

"I can arrange it…"

* * *

><p>Yeah, I know I said it would be a while ago, but I couldn't decide how I wanted it to end. On the bright side, I did a nice little outline, which hopefully means more writing. I know that this story is slow to action, but we'll get there, I promise. This one is a bit short, but hey, they can't all be diamonds. Anyways, am I the only one who gets irritated when you tell someone you wouldn't know someone, and they ask anyways?<p>

Bleach does not belong to me. (Note to self: Learn to say that in German.)


	7. The Names

"But you gotta do it, man!" One man exclaims, chasing after another through a series of hallways.

"Samuel. Go away."

The translator between the two has long since left, leaving a language barrier between the arguing two as they walk along the castle. A lot of people stare at two of the world's most well-known leaders. Those that dare to snicker get a harsh glare from the first one.

"Hey, the council is really beginning to get on you for not taking part in your Society's affairs."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not listening to you!"

"You should get more involved in everything."

"You're so irritating!"

"It's not my fault you don't have a translator."

"Go make peace, you stupid hippie."

"I am NOT a hippie! I don't care WHAT you do to the environment!" Samuel said indignantly.

"Samuel! Get out of my castle!" A white dense glow began to appear around other man as he turned slowly to glare at Samuel.

Samuel frowned slightly.

"NOW!"

Samuel ran. The other gave chase.

Samuel fled out of the castle and through the garden. The other stopped at the door, "And STAY out!" Anyone who lived in the castle or nearby would know that this would probably last an hour. At the most.

A woman who was overseeing the garden walked over, "You really do need to take a bigger part in the affairs of the Seireitei."

"The Central 46 does just fine."

"But they don't do well enough."

"I don't care!" The man said in irritation, waving his staff into the air. "Why does no one here understand that I don't care what they get into? They survived Aizen-"

"Barely."

"-they can survive anything else thrown at them!"

"Just do it." The female glared slightly at her husband.

"…Fine." He finally relented.

"And say hello to our son."

"…Fine."

* * *

><p>Nanao groaned at the chaos that was supposed to be the SWA meeting. Rangiku was drunk, and trying to do who knows what to Isane, who was trying to hide behind a stoic Nemu. Yachiru, in the background, cheered her on, as Hinamori remained silently in the corner. Rukia stood by her side, rubbing her back. Though the girl did heal greatly under the instruction of Captain Ukitake, there were still sore subjects that caused her to clam up. Yachiru decided to bring one of these up. From there, the meeting slept from Nanao's hand, though she doubted that she ever had a hand on it. Soifon was out once more, still wrapped up in the whole affair with the nobles. In fact, Nanao was surprised that Isane managed to come.<p>

"Hey Isane," Nanao called to said girl.

"Yeah-Eep!" Apparently in her moment of distraction, Rangiku succeeded in what she was trying to do.

"What just happened?" Nanao said, with a slight frown.

"Oooh~," Rangiku cooed, "Nanao, you're so naieve!"

"What do you mean by that one?" Nanao called out in irritation, ignoring the fact that Isane was now hiding behind her.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Rangiku gave a wink. If she wanted to say anything further, she did not get the chance due to Yachiru gluing herself to her face.

Finally alone with Isane, Nanao got the chance for intelligent communication. "So, Isane…," Nanao started slowly, not wanting to offend the girl. "How exactly are you here?" …Well, that failed. Nanao was never one for softening hard blows.

Thankfully, the other lieutenant didn't seem to be offended, "Well, apparently there is a new break in the noble case, and everyone's holding their breath. There hasn't been as much violence."

"And the mysterious illness that's going around? What's it called? 'The Stills'?"

"Uhm, yeah. That's what people are calling it, though it's not properly named yet. Well, anyways, we can't do much more for it until we have more information, and that's not really my strong suit. Captain is working on it, and Yasochika can handle everything while I take a break."

"Take a break? That doesn't particularly sound like you."

"Hey!" Isane called, blushing, "My captain forced me!"

"…So what exactly is 'The Stills'?" Nanao redirected the subject.

"Well, that's just it. It's some sort of foreign germ that eats the bonds between spiritual particles, effectively rendering the victim immobile, and eventually killing them. Hence, 'The Stills.'"

"That's just…wow." Nanao didn't know what to say to that. It was the first time she actually heard about what exactly the illness was. "Oh, I see. It doesn't affect high level shinigami because the bonds are stronger between these particles."

"That's what we're thinking. We're afraid that eventually, the illness will break through the bonds, however."

"That would-." Nanao was cut off by a pounding at the door. Everyone looked over as Marejirosaburo walked in.

"Hello, ladies," He said, adjusting his glasses.

"Hello! LADIES!" Rangiku repeated his statement in a different tone, emphasizing the fact that this was a woman's meeting, and he was not a woman.

"Uh…. Aren't you Lieutenant Omeada's brother?" That was Isane.

"Yes. That I am."

…

…

…

"Then why are you here?" Nanao said bluntly.

"I would like to invite you all to a dinner with my family."

The ladies look at each other, before Rangiku says suspiciously, "A dinner? Or the leftovers to a dinner?"

Marejirosaburo laughed stuffily, before, "A full dinner, I assure you."

"What is the catch?" Nemu monotonously asked.

"Ahh, you're too smart." Marejirosaburo said, "You see, my sister would like to join your group, but she is not a Shinigami." At their lack of response, he continued, "Shall we discuss it over dinner?"

"My apologies. Master Mayuri needs me back now," Nemu said. She wasn't lying, the meeting was technically over, and she commented at the beginning she had to leave immediately following.

"And I need to get back to Fourth Division…," Isane commented.

"I can come. As long as the food is good," Rangiku says. Nanao wandered if she _could_ come, or was just going to go.

"I suppose I will come along, too…." As much as Nanao had paperwork to do, she truthfully didn't want to leave the partially drunk—or was she?—Rangiku with this man. Yachiru seems to have disappeared. Rukia and Hinamori were in their own little world.

* * *

><p>This is how two unfortunate women found themselves at the mercy of the Omeada family. The mother was swooning over 'Marechiyo's lovely friends,' the father was talking about the times when he was lieutenant, the older sister was applying make-up, and the younger sister was apologizing for something.<p>

All in all, it was an extremely uncomfortable setting, and it showed on the two's faces. Marejirosaburo walked over, and laid a hand on Rangiku's shoulder. Nanao glared coldly, which went unnoticed. "I'll help you guys get out of here." With that, he fell backwards into a faint.

* * *

><p>"Yes. Perfect."<p>

Little did any of the people in the room know, it was not truly Marejirosaburo. In fact, it was a demon that was controlling him, and that demon just decided to jump ship.

* * *

><p>Everything was doing that creepy slow motion effect. The mother screamed, "MY BABY!" as the father's mouth shut firmly. The sisters ran over, and the two lieutenants slipped out.<p>

* * *

><p>Far away from this chaos, Sasakibe tiredly sat at his desk. A letter appeared out of thin air on his desk. He blinked, and reached over to pick up the letter. As he expected, it was Samuel's return letter. He had sent the letter out a few days ago, and with the faulty mail system, it was hard to tell why the response was delayed.<p>

After reading the letter penned in sprawling English, Sasakibe began to write his own letters. In a few days, someone named Karol would be arriving to assist in the search for what exactly was happening in their Soul Society. With a sigh, Sasakibe set the two nearly identical letters aside, thinking that waiting until tomorrow wouldn't hurt anything.

22222

So, I know it was a bit late, but I was working on getting an outline ready, and I knew that once I started something, I couldn't change it. Hopefully this outline will help me write faster. This one is a bit longer, which may or may not happen more in the future. This is because I already have each chapter planned out, and will probably include everything that I wish to, even if it comes out a bit shorter or a bit longer. As you probably noticed, we are beginning to tread into uncertain territory, with a lot of topics that become pure speculation. If any of you readers would, please tell me what you are liking, and what you are not. I'm here to improve and entertain. Seeya, all.


	8. Of These

Renji headed towards First Division. He really couldn't shake that feeling of foreboding he had acquired recently. He really knew it was stupid, and that he was probably just acting paranoid, but it was still difficult to ignore the feeling, especially when the very same feeling had saved him many times before. Kira had decided to stay behind, and Renji was forced to walk the eerily quiet path alone.

"Oy! Renji!"

Renji couldn't help but sigh in relief. Everything seemed too quiet, too horror movie-esque. '…Thanks a lot, Ichigo,' Renji thought to the long gone substitute, who was the one who introduced Renji to the movies. Either way, it was like some sort of evil presence was lurking, and no one wanted to be out and about, yet no one could tell exactly what it was.

Shuhei jogged up to him, "I thought you'd already be there."

"Why? The letter said to be there at 10."

"…Which was ten minutes ago."

"Whhaaaat? Oh sh-"

Meanwhile, where they were going, the group gathered sat in silence. The group consisted of Sasakibe, Zaraki, Yasochika, and the mysterious man named Karol. Sasakibe was expecting a female, and when he brought this up, he was coldly put down by him, who said, 'It's a Polish male name.' No one dared to say anything following that.

"Sorry we're late!" Renji and Shuhei suddenly burst into the room. They froze when the saw the man standing in the center of the room. Though he was wearing a basic shihakusho with a less than fancy Zanpakuto at his side, he just didn't have that normal aura. Red hair a few shades lighter than Renji's own framed a serious face that reminded Renji much of Byakuya. Renji could sense no spiritual pressure from him, but even so, he seemed to be surrounded by an aura similar to what a captain would have. Though Renji had never seen the man before, he had a feeling he wasn't someone that he should cross, lest the consequences be extremely serious.

Silence stretched, and Renji spoke hesitantly to break it, "Your hair is…vivid…."

"As is yours."

He did not seem to be affected by his own aura. Renji's attempt to break the awkward silence failed. Shuhei was occupied by the thought that someone mixed Byakuya's and Renji's DNA and cloned it. Yasochika and Zaraki looked utterly bored, while Sasakibe seemed to know how to handle the distant man about as much as Renji himself did. Renji was slightly comforted by that fact.

"His name's Karol." Zaraki said gruffly.

"Kar…ol…?" Both Renji and Shuhei were dumbfounded by the name.

"It's Polish," Karol said uninterestedly. "Will someone please explain to me why exactly I'm here again?" He said with a hint of exasperation.

"To figure out what's going on with the Soul Society." Sasakibe seemed to be regaining his composure, Renji observed. It was more than he could say he was doing.

"Can't cha just ask your captain?" Zaraki questioned, clearly bored.

"…No." Sasakibe was silent for a moment before he answered that.

"And how do you plan on doing this?" Karol asked with the tone of one who had seen many stupid things attempted.

Sasakibe was saved by Yasochika, who asked Karol, "Why _are_ you here?"

"Samuel sent me."

"Who's Samuel?" Shuhei leapt into the conversation.

Renji was going to say that it was some English guy Sasakibe knew, but Karol answered first.

"The English Spirit King."

"The what?" Both Renji and Shuhei questioned. Renji stared at Sasakibe, and Shuhei stared at Karol.

"Exactly what I said."

"What do you mean by 'English'?" Shuhei said. Renji swept a glance across the room. Sasakibe was fiddling with papers, trying to go unnoticed, while Zaraki and Yasochika seemed to be in a conversation.

"I'm not explaining to you the concept of the other Soul Societies. There's a reason why you don't know about them," Karol said coldly.

Renji was thinking about why an Eleventh Division captain would speak to a Fourth Division third seat, but the thought ran away when Karol spoke. "Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean there's a reason we don't know?"

"The Japanese as a Soul Society is not prepared enough to handle the responsibility that comes with the knowledge of everything that is truly in the world."

Shuhei and Renji stared at each other, before returning their attention to the man, "What?"

"Exactly as I said. Your Soul Society can barely handle the duties of extinguishing hollows and a civil war, let alone handle the knowledge of the demons, angels, vampires, werewolves, darkness, and everything else that lurks in the room."

"But someone's bound to find out eventually!"

"How do you know that nobody already did?"

* * *

><p>This time, the two Kido bound figures sat on a nearby roof, watching the events unfold in the room.<p>

"I really miss him, ya know?"

"I'm sure you do." Though the first spoke with sadness, the other's voice was empty.

"Hey, you can at least show some sympathy."

"A guard feels nothing of the sort, Spirit King-sama."

"Stop calling me that. And what do you mean you feel nothing of the sort?"

"If I felt sympathy to you, I would have to feel sympathy to others, and if I did that, I may make an error that could cost your life."

"But if you don't care about me, then why do you care if I die?"

"I don't."

"You're confusing me!"

* * *

><p>Nanao was a bit suspicious. Her Captain had <em>that<em> look, which meant he had something planned. He was huddling over his desk, writing something she knew wasn't paperwork related. He was working on it all day, and barely acknowledged her presence. Not that she cared, because she really didn't.

But it was irritating.

She had to admit that the captain did manage to add sunshine for lack of a better metaphor to her life daily. The constant compliments forced her heart to flutter slightly, though she really didn't have feelings for her captain, and she doubted her captain had feelings for her.

"Sir?" She called out. The only response was a drunken laugh. "Sir? Are you alright? You're not acting like yourself…" She should have known better than to say that.

"Dawwwllllll…! Is my lovely Nanao-chan jealous?"

"Of course not." Nanao rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>Zaraki had sat uninterestedly during the meeting. He really didn't care about what happened between an incognito King and a bunch of Lieutenants. He looked at Yasochika. "What happened to th' horned freak?" He asked.<p>

"He couldn't come. Unlike his captain, he's still 'working' on the cure for that illness." Yasochika responded.

Zaraki was probably one of the few that noticed the slight difference in how Yasochika had said 'working.' "Hm. How's that going?"

"Well…" Yasochika started, "There's already a cure, but-"

"Oath of Secrecy," Both Zaraki and Yasochika finished.

* * *

><p>Yeaaaahhh…Late, I know. I guess it's nerves, and lack of motivation. I'm not going to be petty and beg for reviews, nor hold the story captive for them, but I am going to just say that any author reading this story knows how much it helps to get the story moving. So, if you'd like to read more, a simple review would help avoid pauses like this again, even if it only said "Rawr. I want new chapter."<p>

In other news, we are starting to trend uncertain ground here, with many topics that are brought up and occasionally tried out in story. I'm hoping I'm introducing these new things okay.

Until next time. And Bleach belongs to Kite Tubo.


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